Remote-control power system



June-10,1930. v J H D 1,762,971

REMOTE CONTROL POWER SYSTEM Filed Feb. 2, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1' IN VENTOR June 1 0, 1930. J. c. FIELD 1,762,971

REMOTE CONTROL POWER SYSTEM Filed Feb. 2,1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 To SIMILAR /5: CIRCUITS A/vo AlwATl/fi lllil //v l/EN 7'0/Y J 62 HELD A T TUBA/5f Patented June N), 1930 uuiran STATES w en Parent eel-res JOSEPH C. FIELD, OF MAPLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO BELL'TELEFHONE LAB- ORATORL'ES, INCORPORATED, NEW EZ'ORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION vOF NEW YORK REMOTE-CONTROL rowan sYsram Application filed February 2, 1929., Serial No. 337,039.

This invention relates to remote control systems in general, and particularly to systems wherein a dispatcher located at a central control station can operate circuit breakers and the like located at distant sublay corresponding to the breaker he desires to shift. The relay by its response transmits a checking signal back to the dispatcher to indicate the position therelay assumed. The dispatcher notes this signal, and if correct,

operates means at the substation to actually close the circuit of the shifting magnet of the breaker corresponding to this relay,-this circuit including contacts of said relay.

More specifically, each circuit breaker is provided with auxiliary contacts which are shifted by the shifting of the circuitbreaker under control of the dispatcher, the change of position of t ese contacts causing one of the pair of signal lamps individual thereto before the dispatcher to light and the other to be extinguished to indicatesuch change of position. Instead of having the circuit which the dispatcher closes to shift a circuit breaker lead directly to the shifting magnet of such breaker, in accordance with the present invention, it leads to and controls a relay at the substation individual tosuch circuit breaker which when it operates causes a signalto be transmitted back to said pair of lamps, the character of the signal being determined by the position the relay contacts assume; inother words, one, or the other lamp of the pair individual to this breaker is lighted depending u on the. polarity of the impulse transmitte by the relay. The dispatcher,

noting the signal, then actually operates the circuit breaker. To do this he throws a key which supplies power to the circuit breaker magnet controlled by this relay.

Referring to the drawings, Figs. 1 and 2 show a central or control station and a remote station with the interconnecting line wires. Fig. 1 should be placedto the left of Fig. 2. I

Referring to Fig. 1 the control and indicating panel in the dispatchers oflice contains' a control key OK and three indicating lamps 100, 101 and 102, one red, one green and one white, for each power switch .P, Fig.2, to be supervised. The red and green lamps indicate the position of the power switches, except while checking, they indicate the position of the control relays CR,

Fig. 2, one of which is provided for each power swltch or circuit breaker.

The white lamp 100 is lighted only when the powef switch P or control relay GR is in the opposite position as to the position indicated by the control key OK. The dispatchers station is also provided with an operating key OK, a set-up key SK, synchronizing, lamps 103, 104, 105, alarm bell. 106, bell key 107, phasing bell 109 and phasing lamp 108. A relay and distributor anel is located in both the dispatchers statlon and the substation, each panel containing one distributor for a number of power switches and one indicating or control relay OR for each power switch I to be supervised. The control relays GB at the .substation are operated from the dispatchers keys OK, OK through both distributors. Each power switch is providedwith auxiliary contacts which correspondv to thedispatchers keys. As soon as any power switch completes an operation its auxiliary. contacts operate one of-the indicating relays IR on the apparatus panel at the dispatchers station, changing the indication corresponding to the position of that particular power switch. In this system four line wires are used between the dispatchers station and the substation, the first line wire L- 1 being I used for the phasing and controlling circuits, the second line wire L--2 for the indicating circuits, the third line Wire L3 for syn- V remote station is set but the power switch" chronizing the rotation of thebrush carriers on both distributors and the fourth line wire.

'L-4 providing a common return circuit for all lines; f

Whenever the dis atcher desires to operate any power switc at the distant station he turns the control key CK of that power has not yet been operated. Before operating the operate key OK,'it should be noted that there are no white lamps 102 lighted on other control keys CK and that the white lamp on thecontrol key previously operated has been extinguished, and that the indication received corresponds to the'control key posit tion. This indicates that the control relay desired and no other at the substation'h s been operated and prepared to either open r close the power switch. Y

Upon the actuation of the operation key? OK the power switch will be operated and the indications will be transferred from the contacts of the control relays CR to the auxiliary contacts of the power switches.- This will be indicated by the lighting of the green lamp 112 in place of the red and white indication transfer lamps 110 and 111 associated with the operate ,key OK.

Whenever a power switch automatically-- changes its position the alarm bell 106,,and a white lamp 100 is lighted at the control key GK corresponding to that power switch. At all times the dispatcher has a visual indication of the position of all the supervised 3 units and is notified immediately of any change.

For the synchronous operation of brush carriers of the distributors there are provided control segments, collector rings, two line relays L3 and line wire The bat tery for the synchronizing circuit is connect-' ed from the windings of the line relay L--3 to the synchronizing segments, across the brush to the collector ring and thence to the L-3 line, to the collector ring of the distant station distributor, acrossthe brush to the synchronizing segments, through the windings of the line relay L-3 and thence to the line L--4. When the brush arm on each distributor passes over a synchronizing segment, the two L3 line role. 5 being in series will operate simultaneous y and will thus release the brush arm of each distributor at the same instant by energizing'the respective release magnets 113, 213 and 114, 214. The brush of each distributor after passing over the synchronizing segment cuts 01? the source of current applied to said'release magnets to permit them to returnv to the deenergized position so that the release magnet latches will engage with the next stop on the brush arm. Since the stops on the brush carrier are in alignment with the synchronizing segments the brush carrier will be stopped every tenth of a revolution by the release magnet latches, this stopping time being determined by the different phase rela-- tion of the brush carriers of the two distributors. If, however, the distributors are not running in synchronism and if one brush arm should lag behind, the other arm will be brought into step each time the stop on the brush carrier engages with the release magnet latch. In other words, the brush carrier which is running the faster willbe stopped at the release magnet latch and held until the slower brush carrier reaches the corresponding position. This means for maintaining the synchronous operation, of the brush carriers of the distributors is described indetail in patent to J. C. Field No. 1,496,

drawing, whereupon the white lamp 100' lights, the green lamp remaining lighted. The dispatcher then turns the set-up key SK for a quarter turn and releases it. The 5-4 contact of the set-up key SK breaks negative battery feed to the operate key OK from' source 120, thuspiteventing the power switch from being operated until the set-up key has completed its operation;. The 12 contact of the set-up key SK closes and-operates relay S-2 over the following circuit: battery 115, conductors 116, 117, relay S2, conductor 118, contact 2-1 to the other side of the battery. A set .'of make contacts 119' on relay S-2 closes and connects the positive side of battery 120 to the control keys OK. The other set of contacts 121 connects positive battery over conductor 122 through the cutoff segments of the middle ring of the distributor D in the dispatchers station across the brush to the middle collector ring, line L3 to the middle collector ring on'distributor D at the substation, through the brush and corresponding segments, conductor 200, and thence through the winding of the cutoff relay COR, conductor 201, to the common return L-4 connected to the midpoint .of battery 120. This ositive impulse operates the cut-off relay C R to the 1 -3 and 2--5 contact position. The 2--5 contact of the cut-off relay COR sends a positive impulse through the winding of the auxiliary power 7 relay AR over the following circuit: positive side of battery 202, conductor 203,. contact 25 of relay COR, conductor 204, auxiliary power relay AR, conductors 201, 205 to the common return L--4 'connected to the midpoint of the battery 202. This positive impulse operates the auxiliary power relay AR to close its 13 and 25 contacts. The 1--4 contact of this relay in opening breaks-the circ'uit of the power relay'PR which releases. The lower set of contacts on this relay disconnects battery 228 from the operating or shifting magnets of all the power switches one of which P, only is shown. The upper set of contacts closes a circuit to operate all the indication transfer relays ITR and relay 11. The 13 contact of the set-up key SK which closes about second after the 1-2 contact closes, operates the relay S-3 over the following circuit: positive side of battery 115, conductors 116, 117, relay S--3, conductor 123, contacts 31 of the set-up key SK to the negative side of battery 115. Relay S3 in operating allows a negative impulse to be sent from the contact of the control relay CK to segment 51 on the dispatchers distributor to operate the relay Ll at the substation which in turn will operate the control relay CR corresponding to the desired power switch. The circuitfor operating relay Ll is as follows: negative side of battery 120,

conductors 124 125, contact of control key CK, conductor 126, segment 51 which corresponds to control key CK, through the brush of the distributor tothe inner ring of the distributor, conductor 127, make contact of relay S3, conductor 128 to line L1, over line Ll, to the distant substation. the 1-'3 contact of cut-ofi' relay COR, conductor 206, line relay Ll to the common return L4. Line relay Ll in closing its 1 1 contact sends out a negative impulse tooperate control relay CR corresponding to the power switch P it is desired to close. The circuit for relay CR isas follows: negative side of battery 202,

contacts 4-1 of relay Ll, conductor 207,

the 2 5 contact of auxiliary power relay AR, conductor 208, outer left armature and make contact of relay 11, conductor 215, outer ring of the substation distributor -D', across the brush to, segment N0. 1, conductor 216, control relay CR, conductors 201, 205 to the common return wire Let. This negative impulse operates control relay CR corresponding to power switch No. 1 to the 1-4 and 2-6 position. T he26 contact of the control relay CR which corresponds to power switch o. 1 sends out a negative impulse through the substation distributor segment No; over the L2 line through the winding of the relay L-2 to the L-4 line to operate the L2 relay to operate indicating relay No. 1,

corresponding to the control relay- CR operated, which indicating relay will change the lamp signals .to indicate the response of the control relay CR. The negative impulse which operates relay L2 passes over the following-circuit: negative side of battery 202, conductor 217, 218, the 2-6 contact of control relay CR, conductor 219, right armature and make contact of indlcation transfer relay No.

1, conductor 220, segment 55 of the distributorD at thesubstation across the distributor brush to the inner distributor ring, conductor 221 to line L-2, thence to the dispatchersj station through line relay L2 thereat to the common return line L l. The line relay L2 in operating on this negative impulse closes contact 14 which closes a circuit for indicating relay No. 1. This circuit is as follows: negative side of battery 120, conductors 130, 131, 14 contact of relay L 2, conductor 132 to the outer collector ring of the distively on the control key CK operated. The

2-6 contact opens a circuit momentarily which causes the alarm bell 106 to ring, which will be later described in detail.

In the meantime at the remote station relay 11 has sent out a negative impulse from segment 54 of the substation distributor over the L-'-2 line to operate line relay L2 to the 1-1 contact position. This circuit is as follows: negative side of battery 202, conductors 217, 222, inner left armature and make contact of relay 11, conductor 223, segment 54 of the substationdistributor, across the brush to. the inner collector ring, conductor 221 to the L 2 line and thence to the dispatchers station through line relay L2 to the common return L L' This impulse operates line relay L2 to the 1-4 contact positiorii This contact operates the indicating relay No. 50 over the following circuitrnegative side of battery 120, contact 1-4, conductor 132, outer collector ring, across the brush to segment 4,

conductor 135, indicating relay No. 50, con-' ductors 136,137 to common return L4. Indicating relay No. 50 moves to the 14, 26 position which lights a red lamp 111 and white lamp 110 and extinguishes the green lamp 112 onthe operate key OK. It also rings the alarm bell 106. The set-up key SK in restoring and opening its 1.23 contacts allows relays S2 and S3 to release. The right armature of relay S-'2 in falling back sends out a negative impulse over the L-- 3 line to. operate the cut-ofi' relay COR to the 1-4, 26 position. The circuit for operating relay COR is as follows: negative side of battery 120, (Fig. 1) conductor 1 30,

right armature and back contact of relay 8-2, conductor 122, distributor cut-oft seg ments. across the distributor brush to the L-3 line, thence to the distant substation, conductor 224, middle collector ring of the substation distributor D, across the brush to the cut-off segments, conductor 200, cut-off relay COR, conductors 201, 205 to common return L-ai.

The set-up has now becn'made but the dispatcher cannot operate the power switch P until the set-up key SK has closed its 4-5 contact. This contact does not close until the set-up key has returned to its original position. The time interval between the breaking of the 1-23 contacts to-the closing of the 45 contact in the set-up key should be about 2 seconds.

The dispatcher now presses the operate key OK which sends out a negative impulse to operate the auxiliary power relay AR to the 14 and 26 contact position. This cir 'cuit is as follows: negative side of battery 120, conductor 12;, contact 45 of the sctup key SK, contacts of the operate key OK, normal contact of relay 8-3, conductor 128, line L1 to the distant substation, the 1% contact of cut-ofi' relay COR, conductor 226, right armature and'make contactof relay 11.

conductor 227,204, auxiliary power relay AR.

conductors 201, 205 to the common return L4. The 1----l contact on the auxiliary power relay AR closes to operate the power relay PR over an obvious circuit. Power relay PR- in operating permits the closure of the circuit of the magnet of power switch P, which was prepared by the operation of the control relay CR. This circuit is as follows: battery 228, conductor 229, the 1'l contact of the control relay CR, auxiliary contacts on the power magnet P. lower winding of the power magnet. conductor 230, contacts of the power relay PR to the other side of battery 228. The circuit breaker or power switch is now closed and since the indication transfer relay is released upon the energization of the power relay these relays release their armatures and the control of the indication is transferred from the control relays to the auxiliary breaker contacts. Relay No. 11 in restoring sends a positive impulse through segment 54: over the L2 line to operate line relay L-2 to the l5 position to change the lamp indications on the operate key OK to show the response of the substation equipment. This circuit is as follows: positive side of battery 202, conductors 203, 231, inner left armature and back contact of relay 11, conductor 223, segment 54 of the substation distributor D across the brush to the inner collector ring, conductor 221, line L2 to the distant dispatchers office, line relay L2 to the common return L4. This positive pulse operates relay L2 to its 15 position which contact sends a positive impulse to the outer collector ring across the brush to segment No. 4 through the winding of the indicating relay No. 50. 'This circuit is as follows? positive side of battery 120, conductors 138, 139, the 1-5 contact of relay L2, conductor 132, outer collector ring, across the brush to segment No. 4, conductor 135, indicating relay No. 50, conductors 136, 137 to the common return L4. This positi \e impulse operates relay No. to the 1-3, 25 contact position which lights the green lamp 112 and extinguishes the red and white indication transfer lamps 111 and 110.

A change in the position of power switch P changes the polarity of battery to the segment in the same manner as that described for the operation of the control key at the dispatchers station. For instance, if a power switch is opened the auxiliary contact 251 places positive current on the associated distributor segment 55, while on the other hand if the power switch is closed, the auxiliary contact places negative current on the associated segment. The path is as follows for positive potential: positive side of battery 202, conductor 203, auxiliary contact 251 of power switch P, conductor 203, normal contact of ITR relay No. 1 conductor 220, to segment 55. As the brush arms of the distributors at each end of the line rotate and pass over the segments, the potential of the inner segments which correspond to the power switches at the distant station is transmitted over the L2 line. This operates the L-2 line relay at the dispatchers station. The line relay repeats these impulses to the receiving collector ring and the outer segments of the distributor at the dispatchers station, thence to the indicating relays. The impulses distributed to these relays operate each individual relay following a change in polarity caused by the operation of a power unit in the outlying station. Consequently all of the indicating relays at the dispatchers station will correspond in position to the position of the power units which they indicate. The operation of the individual indicating relays changes the indicating'lamps from red to green or vice versa.

Also in connection with any change in the position of power units at the substation followed by the change in indicating lamps, the alarm 106 will be operated and the auxiliary white lamp on the associated control key CK will be lighted and remain so until the incoming signal has been acknowledged by the dispatcher by changing the position of his control key CK.

. The alarm bell 106 is operated by the momentary opening of the S1 relay circuit through contacts on each of the indicating relays when any one of the indicating relays changes position from one side to the other. It will be noted that relay Sl is normally energized from battery 115 over conductors 140, 141, left armature and make contact of relay S1, relay S-1, conductor 142, either the 2-5 or the 2-6 contact of the indicating relay No. and either the 2'5 or the 26 contactof the indicating relay No. 1 to the other side of battery 115. This momentary opening of the circuit allows the S1 relay to fall off, closing the circuit of hell 106. At the instant the alarm bell is energized the 8-4 relay will operate in series therewith from battery 115 over'an obvious air a*" the armature of relay S4 restores the S-'. relay to its normal energized condition. The bell key 107 is provided so that the alarm cell 106 may be either single stroke or continuous ringing at the discretion of the dispatcher. The phasing bell 109 and lamp 108 are operated whenever the distributors are out of synchronism. This is brought about by using certain ones of the middle row of segments adjacent to the middle collector rings on the distributors. At the distant station segments 233 in this row are connected over conductors 234 through a back contact of the relay 11, contact 14 of relay COR to the L1 line. At the dispatchers station the L-1 line is connected though a back contact on relay S3 to the upper set of normally closed contacts on the operate key OK to the winding of the S5 relay to the midpoint of battery 120. The brush on thedistributor atthe dispatchers station leading to the L-3 line has positive or negative battery thereon from segments on D except when passing over the dead segments 144. If the two'distributors are running exactly in synchronism relay S-5 connected to line L-1 will not receive any current. It the distributor atthe dispatchersstation is running faster or slower than the distributor at the distant station the S5 relay will receive pulses of current and will operate the phasing bell 109 and lamp 108 intermittently. This will indicate that the distributors are out of synchronism and not properly operating and that therefore no control key should be operated before correctingtheir condition. This arrangement for giving a signal when the distributors are out of synchronism by an amount less than that required to operate the automatic synchronizing means is described in detail and claimed in Patent No. 1,719,506 dated July 2, 1929, to J. C. Field and therefore need not be further described since it forms no part of this invention. I

If the dispatcher so desires he can perform a number of control operations at the same time by simply turning the desired control keys before turning the set-up key. Any control operation made may be canceled by tuming that key to its original position before turning the set-up key. The whilte lamp 103 is provided for the purpose of indicating to the dispatcher the condition of the line wire L'2 and that the incoming signals from the auxiliary breaker contacts are being received. Red and green lamps 105 and 104 are for the purpose of indicating to the dispatcher that 1. Ina remote control system, the combination with a dispatchers station and a substation, power switches thereat, a pair of lamps at the dispatchers station for each power switch, a polarized relay at the dispatche'rs station for each pair of lamps, auxiliary signaling contacts on each power switch, battery connections thereto adapted to be reversed by the shifting of the power switch to cause said relay to change the indications of said lamps, of a series of polarized relays at the substation for said power switches having similar battery connections adapted to be substituted for the auxiliary signaling contacts of the corresponding switches, electromagnetic means at the substation controlled from the dispatchers station for efiectin the substitution, a signal at the dispatcher s station operated thereby, means at the dispatchers station for operating a given polarized relay at the substation, said relay in shifting the battery connections operating the corresponding polarized relay at the central ofiice to change the indications of the pair of lamps controlled thereby, means controlled by the dispatcher for restoring said electromagnetic means, a signal at the dispatchers station operated thereby, a circuit for applying power to the shifting magnet of the selected switch, said circuit including contacts of the polarized relay at the substation whose position has been changed, and means controlled by the dispatcher for closing said circuit.

2. In a remote control system, the combination with a dispatchers station and a substation, power switches thereat, a pair of lamps at the dispatchers station for each power switch, a polarized relay at the dispatchers stat-ion for each pair'of lamps, auxiliary signaling contacts on each power switch, battery connections thereto adapted tobe reversed by the shifting of the power switch to cause said relay to change the indications of said lamps, of a source of current normally connected to the shifting magnets of said power switches, a cut-oflf relay fordisconnecting said source therefrom, a series of polarized relays for said power switches having similar batteryconnections adapted to be substituted for the auxiliary.signalingcontacts ofthecorresponding switches, transfer relays for efi'ecting such substitution, means including a common setup key at the dispatchers station to operate said cut-ofl' relay to energize said transfer relays and disconnect said current source from said shifting magnets, a control key at the dispatchers station for each power switch adapted when operated to actuate the corresponding polarized relay at the substation, the reversal of said battery connections upon the response of said polarized relay changing the indications of said pair of lamps, a common switch operating key at the dispatchers station, a pair of lamps for each 'key, said transfer relays in operating changing the indications of said lamps, means actuated by the operation of said latter key to reconnect said source to the shifting magnets and release said transfer relays, whereupon a circuit is closed to operate the shifting magnet of the selected power switch, said circuit including contacts of the shifted polarized relay, said transfer relays in releasing again changing the indication of the lamps associated with the operate key.

3. In a remote control system, a dispatchers station and a substation, circuit breakers thereat, a control and indicating panel at the dispatchers station having a control key and three lamps for each circuit breaker, polarized control relays at the substation for said circuit breakers, means for lighting one of said lamps when the corresponding relay or circuit breaker is in the opposite position to the position indicated by the control key, one or the other'of the remaining lamps being lighted depending on the open or closed position of the corresponding breaker, a common set-u key, a common operate key and lamps associated therewith, means operated by the actuation of the set-up key to remove the power source from the breakers, means actuated thereby to change the indications of said lamps associated with the operate key, means actuated by the joint operation of a control key and set-up key to operate the corresponding polarized relay, means actuated thereby to send back an impulse to extinguish the two lighted lamps of said control key and light the remaining lamp to indicate to the dispatcher the response of said polarized relay, means including a switch operating key to reconnect the power source to the breakers, whereupon a circuit is closed to operate the shifting magnet of the selected breaker, said circuit including contacts of the shifted polarized relay, and means at the substation actuated by the operation of said latter key to transmit an impulse to change the indica tions of the lamps on said operating key to indicate to the dispatcher that the apparatus has functioned to close the breaker circuit.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 31st day of January, 1929.

J GSEPH C. FIELD. 

